Some containers for food products, such as cookies and other snacks, typically include an outer wrapper. In one type of container, the wrapper surrounds a frame which acts as a tray to hold the food product and to protect the food product from damage. Other food products come packaged in plastic trays, such as thermoform trays which are sealed on the top using some type of lidding material. One recent advancement in the art of food container closures includes a resealable closure disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,918,532 (hereinafter the “532 patent”), herein incorporated by reference, which discloses a wrapper which forms a top of the container which has an access opening covered by a resealable sealing panel.
In the packaging art, different methods have been used to indicate whether a package has been previously opened or whether the integrity of the package has been compromised, often referred to in the art as “tamper-evident.” For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0247764, herein incorporated by reference, discloses means for indicating package integrity using die-cut elongated strips running adjacent to the opening in a sealing area which is defined as the area around the opening of the container, under the sealing panel, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/438,705, herein incorporated by reference, discloses a package integrity indicator in the form of at least one flap or elongated strip which terminates at an opening covered by a closure, where the flap or elongated strip falls into a container sealed with the closure after the container has been opened for the first time.
There is a need for improvements in the art for package integrity indicators for a resealable closure, preferably suitable for use with a resealable closure for containers or packages containing food items.